


Down at the Laundromat

by GeneratorCat



Series: Dirty Laundry [2]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 17:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8219443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneratorCat/pseuds/GeneratorCat
Summary: Tim thinks this is a new record. He managed to completely ruin the date before the other person even arrived.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cinnamon_skull](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamon_skull/gifts).



> This is for my darling Kay, who requested a continuation of [Eat Your Heart Out, Ethan Hunt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5965276), _months_ ago. (Sorry it took so long.) Happy birthday, and I'm sorry this isn't quite as funny as the first part... but I still like it :)

Tim watches Jason take in the scene: Tim soaked, with suds clinging to his hair and clothes. The foamy horror behind him.

His shoes squeak on the tile floor as he fidgets, shifting his weight and wringing his shirt and thinking about climbing into one of the many washing machines around and never, ever coming out. He could probably fit.

Gripping his laundry basket against his hip, Jason asks, “What the hell happened to you?”

Not quite meeting his eyes, Tim answers in what he tries for as a casually dismissive tone, “Oh, nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

“No, it’s nothing and we don’t need to get into it or ever mention it again,” Tim says hopefully. As if they really could just ignore the mountain of foam taking up the back corner of the Laundromat and the fact that Tim has clearly caused it.

Jason looks like he’s considering letting it go until an elderly Korean woman approaches, dragging along a mop in a bucket with wheels that rattle so loudly they would have drawn the attention of everyone in the place, if Tim hadn’t already had it. Tim gives a feeble wave to Mrs. Lin, the owner of this fine establishment that Tim has made a mess of. Mrs. Lin gets right to business, explaining to Tim how to use the mop, demonstrating with firm motions and firmer tone, her instructions heavily accented but clear.

She thrusts the mop into Tim’s hands and he mumbles, “I know how to mop.”

“Like you know how to wash clothes?” She counters with a raised eyebrow and a wave to the slowly deflating mess of suds.

Tim blushes and Jason lets out the laugh that he’s probably been biting back since he walked into the Laundromat.  

The woman shuffles away muttering what Tim can only assume is a colorful string of Korean curses and Tim gets to work, focusing hard on cleaning up the mess, trying really hard to avoid talking about it all. He can feel heat in his ears and knows his hair is spiked in every direction and hopes Jason thinks it’s all adorable. It’s not likely.

Tim thinks this is a new record. He managed to completely ruin the date _before the other person even arrived._

“So,” Jason says as he sets his basket of clothes on a nearby folding table. “I brought some fabric softeners for you to smell.”

“What?” Tim whirls around, and his foot slips in the soapy water he’s standing in and he goes down, meeting the floor with a wet smack. Tim yelps and clutches at his hip, screws his eyes shut tight and hopes to become one with the ground.

New record again. Second embarrassment of the night, only ten minutes in. Stephanie will be so proud.

Jason rushes over, not slipping in the water like an idiot, of course, and crouches down, careful to not get his jeans wet. “Shit, are you hurt?”

“ _Peas and Rice!_ ” Tim hisses.

Jason reaches out and sets a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “Seriously, are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” Tim asks, shrill. “Apparently I can’t do laundry without Stephanie’s help, I completely fucked up the machine. Probably gonna have to pay for it. I embarrassed myself in front of everyone in here and right then _you_ walk in, looking like _that_ ,” he flaps his hand at Jason angrily. Jason glances down at himself, as if wondering what exactly about his jeans and Henley make Tim so mad. God, he doesn’t even realise. “I ruined our first date and I am mess of a human being.”

Squeezing his eyes shut again, Tim groans, “And my ass hurts now, and not in the fun way one might expect on a date.”

Jason laughs.

Tim glares at him, feeling quite betrayed and it only makes Jason laugh harder, probably because he still has suds in his hair and it ruins the intimidating look he’s trying for.

“I’m sorry,” Jason gasps, calming himself down. “I’m sorry. Really. For laughing and the machine and. And your ass.”

Tim freezes, mouth dropping open as he realises he had actually said that part aloud. He really, really wants to just run away and file this whole experience under Things to Never Ever Think About Again and be done with it. But Jason is biting his lip, stifling giggles, and he has a little dimple on his left cheek, and he isn’t running away from Tim, so. So Tim figures there’s still a chance to save this. He grins and says, “It’s fine. I guess it is pretty funny.”

“A little. Come on.” Jason stands and pulls Tim up after him. He walks Tim over to a chair and sits him down, insisting he rest his bruised butt and pride while Jason finishes the mopping. Tim protests the whole time without actually making any move to get up.

Jason works diligently (the man looks good working a mop) and soon has the worst of it cleaned up. He calls to Tim, “Since you’re over there, you can check out the fabric softeners I brought for you.”

Tim turns to Jason’s basket and grabs three of the bottles inside. “Um. For me?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“You liked to smell them, I remember that.”

Tim drops his head in his hands. Fuck, Jason thinks Tim is some weird laundry perv with a fabric softener fetish. But the fact that he brought them is actually super sweet. With a small smile Tim sighs and sits up, forces himself to look at Jason even when he can feel the pink in his cheeks. “I remember acting like an idiot. Much like I am tonight. Must be something in the air in this place.” He glances around the shop, glaring at the building because maybe it really is its fault.

“I remember being utterly charmed by you.”

Tim rolls his eyes. “Jason, I stole your underwear!”

The old lady in a hairnet at the next table pauses folding her housecoat long enough to side-eye the two of them.

“He gave them back,” Jason tells the woman, as if that makes it better, at all.

When Mrs. Lin comes back to retrieve the bucket and mop, she inspects the floor and gives Jason an approving nod, and Tim a raised eyebrow that makes him feel every past failure in his lifetime. It’s impressive.

Jason gets his load of laundry into a machine. Tim has to run his through the washer again. A different washer.

And then they’re sitting there in the cheap plastic chairs, the sounds of washing machines swishing and dryers tumbling the only noise between them.

It’s nice, actually.

Later, Tim breaks the silence with, “So, were you really charmed? Because at the time, I got more of an _about to take a knife from my boot_ vibe from you.”

“I did consider that, at first.” Tim laughs, and Jason smiles. “But yeah, I was kind of hooked when you kept saying _launder_.”

“Oh, God, really? That did it for you?”

“Well, and your friend…” Jason shrugs. “She’s hard to say no to.”

“You have no idea,” Tim tells him. He looks at Jason, beautiful even under the greenish tint of the building’s cheap lighting. “But, sometimes it works out to listen to her.”


End file.
